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US Open: Novak Djokovic defeats John Millman

Withstanding energy-sapping weather, Djokovic ensures there’s no upset as he annihilates Federer-conqueror to set up Nishikori clash.

Novak Djokovic put aside all of it, from his opponent’s unheard-of, middle-of-a-set chance to change out of sweat-soaked clothes and shoes, to consecutive time violations because he let the serve clock expire, to the 16 break points he wasted. All that mattered, really, was that Djokovic managed to do what Roger Federer could not two nights earlier: beat 55th-ranked John Millman at the US Open.

Djokovic moved a step closer to a third championship at Flushing Meadows and 14th Grand Slam title overall by eliminating Millman 6-3 6-4 6-4 to get to the tournament’s semi-finals for an 11th appearance in a row. He sat out last year because of an injured right elbow.The No. 6-seeded Djokovic, who won Wimbledon in July, had been drawn to face Federer in the quarterfinals. But Millman scuttled that showdown by stunning the 20-time Grand Slam champ in four sets in the fourth round on a hot and humid evening that Federer said sapped his energy and made it hard to breathe.

“I was, alongside many other people, anticipating the match against Federer,” Djokovic said. This night was cooler, as the temperature dipped into the 70s, but the humidity was above 80 percent, so with Millman drenched, he sought permission for a wardrobe change at 2-all in the second set. It was odd enough to see a player be allowed to do that during, instead of after, a set, but even odder for it to happen after an even number of games, rather than at an odd-game changeover.

“I was struggling. He was struggling. We were all sweating. Changing a lot of T-shirts, shorts,” said Djokovic, who will face 2014 US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori on Friday. “Just trying to find a way to hang in there.”

When Millman apologized for leaving the court at that juncture, Djokovic replied, “I’m fine to have a little rest,” then sat down on his sideline bench without a shirt on and cooled off.

“I didn’t even know the rule,” said Millman, whose request to leave briefly was permitted based on something called the “Equipment Out of Adjustment” provision in the International Tennis Federation guidelines, because his sweat was making the court slippery.

Widely considered the best returner in the game, Djokovic kept accumulating chances — and then failing to cash them in. He was able to come through on only four of his 20 break points. There were other issues for him, too, including in the third set when, ahead by a break, he was called by the chair umpire for allowing the 25-second serve clock, making its Grand Slam debut at this tournament, to run out on back-to-back points. After the first, he double-faulted, and he wound up getting broken there.

But he broke back in the match’s next-to-last game, then served out the victory at love. Millman said, “He makes you work hard for every point and it’s relentless.”

Earlier , Nishikori defeated the man he lost to in the final four years ago, Marin Cilic 2-6 6-4 7-6 (5) 4-6 6-4. Add that to No. 20 Naomi Osaka’s 6-16-1win over unseeded Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine, and Osaka and Nishikori give Japan semifinalists in both men’s and women’s singles at the same Grand Slam tournament for the first time in tennis history.

‘Courts slowed a touch’

Meanwhile, US Open tournament director David Brewer admitted that the Grand Slam event’s hard courts were purposely slowed down “a touch” in response to players noting in recent years that the surface seemed to be speeding up.“In the general feedback we’ve gotten from players the last couple of years — a range of players, both male and female — the commonality we seemed to have been getting was: The courts were sort of gradually creeping up in speed,’’ Brewer said. “We just felt we needed to address that a little bit this year. At the same time, we wanted to ensure we had really good consistency across all courts.’’

The amount of sand or other granular items in the surface’s top layer can be adjusted to make a court faster, which is what’s responsible for the change, according to Brewer, rather than the recent switch from asphalt to cement underneath each court at Flushing Meadows.

Novak Djokovic (L) during his quarters encounter against John Millman; Kei Nishikori (R) celebrates his victory over Marin Cilic

Rafael Nadal will put his weary body on the line against a merciless Juan Martin del Potro on Friday with a place in the US Open final at stake.

“It will be a very tough one. Juan Martin is a great player everywhere,” said Nadal who will be playing in a seventh semi-final in New York. “But the challenge of playing him on hard of course is even higher for me personally than playing against him on clay.”

“It could be another big battle just as at Wimbledon,” said Del Potro. “I like to play always with the No. 1of the world, doesn’t matter the tournament or the conditions or the weather.”